Falcao: Colombia win was magnificent

The prolific Atletico Madrid striker has spoken positively of the international break, following an important victory for his country.

Radamel Falcao is upbeat regarding Colombia's chances of qualifying for the 2014 World Cup, after getting on the score-sheet in a 3-1 win over Chile.

After conceding in the first half, Falcao was involved in the Colombian comeback, scoring the second goal as his side attempted to cement itself in the mix for a World Cup place. The result followed a good victory over Uruguay, making this international break particularly pivotal for their qualifying chances.

"It's a magnificent victory," announced Falcao, speaking to Colombian television. "We thought this might happen and the work of the whole team was very important. We got six points from this play-off date.

"The win was a reward for the maturity and the hierarchy of a team that was not intimidated by the disadvantage in the first half."

Falcao warned, however, that Chile will recover from the defeat at the hands of his side.

"The Chilean team is very good. What happened was that we worked as a team, stayed compact and didn't allow them to play football. They will surely get up and recover because they have great players," explained the Atletico Madrid striker.

Colombia manager Jose Pekerman also spoke of the importance of their victory.

"The win is very important. It affirms that the team has potential and still has a lot to give," explained the Argentine. "This was one of the most difficult games of the play-offs, the statistics did not favour us, but the team focused on playing the game, knowing that we faced a major rival."